


Goldilocks

by IncendiaGlacies



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, Gideon-centric, Human!Gideon, Overprotective!Rip, RipFic, Timeship Week 2017
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-03
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2019-01-08 14:10:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12255978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncendiaGlacies/pseuds/IncendiaGlacies
Summary: If she came away with bruises, a few scrapes, if everything was too loud, if the lumps in her bed felt like rocks at times, well it was normal. Humans were apparently much more delicate than she had anticipated. Her entire life as an AI seemed like a muted experience in comparison to her rebirth as a human. It made sense that everything should seem more, just, more. It was normal, it was expected for human life.Except that it wasn’t.Written for Timeship Week 2017. Day Three: Human!Gideon





	Goldilocks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MissCrazyWriter321](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissCrazyWriter321/gifts).



> misscrazyfangirl321 on tumblr had an idea about Gideon becoming human and being super sensitive to everything. So of course I ran with it and added angst. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> (I apologize if this is a little OOC)

Her body was new, fragile in some ways like a baby’s would be. At first, she was sure this was all a part of the normal process – feeling how all other humans feel. After all, with the new body came the onslaught of new emotions. Before she had been sure she already felt as human as she could, that she had felt the burning of desires, the stab of loss. But none of it compared to what she felt now as a human. The quick flare of anger that overcame her so easily was new. The laughter that bubbled up and spilled from her mouth was new. The feeling of closeness, like a string tugging on her heart whenever she saw her Captain wasn’t exactly new, but it was more intense and far messier than she had ever felt.

So it made sense that her physical sensitivities would match her newly inflated emotional sensitivities. If she came away with bruises, a few scrapes, if everything was too loud, if the lumps in her bed felt like rocks at times, well it was normal. Humans were apparently much more delicate than she had anticipated. Her entire life as an AI seemed like a muted experience in comparison to her rebirth as a human. It made sense that everything should seem more, just, more. It was normal, it was expected for human life.

Except that it wasn’t.

* * *

 

**_Too Hot_ **

“Gideon, you want a coffee or something? I’m making,” Jax offered as he walked by her cozy reading spot. Gideon put her book down and looked up at the interruption. She didn’t trust the young man not to make a mess of her kitchen so she followed him even though she had no interest in the beverage.

“Why can’t you just use the fabricator? It doesn’t make such a mess,” Gideon asked as she watched him move around in the kitchen.

“Just because you can’t cook,” Jax teased before raising his hands in surrender under her glare. Even as a human she was connected to the ship and could lock in him his room if she wanted. She called it disciplining. “It just tastes better if you make it by hand. You’d think you’d know that now that you’re human.”

“I have no use for coffee, I don’t know how you drink it. It’s ghastly, far too bitter,” Gideon pouted. She really hated it.

Jax laughed, “Yeah well maybe you’re more of a tea fan like your Captain.”

“Sadly, Captain Hunter doesn’t put enough sugar in his tea, it’s still not to my taste,” Gideon complained.

“Well how about some hot chocolate?” Jax tempted her. Gideon grinned at him causing the younger man to laugh at her again. “Alright then, come over here and help out. Grab those mugs from the shelf, would you?”

Gideon nodded and got the step stool so she could reach the cabinet properly. She winced and held the side of her ribs as she took the mugs down one by one. When she got down again, Jax was frowning at her.

“What’s wrong, Mr. Jackson?” Gideon questioned, “Were these not the mugs you wanted?”

“Yeah they were,” Jax took the mugs and put them on the counter. Slowly he reached out a hand for her shirt, Gideon instinctively stepped away from him. Jax raised his hands in surrender to show he meant no harm, “Did you hurt yourself?”

Gideon pressed her fingers lightly against the bruise on her side and tried to cover her wince but she knew he could still see it. “It’s not that bad. Promise.”

“Gideon,” Jax warned.

“Honestly, I didn’t notice until a while after the mission or I would have said something. I didn’t see the need of bothering the Captain with this. It’s nothing, please.” She always came back from the missions with new bruises. Most of them she was able to cover up with clothes. The one time Rip had seen a bruise on her he had been incessant with his worry over her. It wasn’t her fault, she was still getting used to this new body. Humans were so fragile about everything. Honestly, even her bed hurt sometimes.

Jax sighed, “Fine. You win this time – wipe that smirk off your face, it’s one time. Next time, I’m telling Rip.”

“Understood Mr. Jackson,” Gideon nodded, “Thank you.”

Jax shook his head and muttered under his breath. Gideon could have chosen to listen in but chose not to. Instead she carried on and took out the rest of the ingredients Jax needed. The two worked in ease with mindless chatter between them.

“Alright,” Jax finally grinned at her, “The perfect cup of hot chocolate, ready!”

Gideon clapped as Jax took a bow and handed her the steaming cup. She took the cup from him and could barely grasp it, it burned her fingers. Still, Gideon tried her best and took a sip from the cup. Instantly she shrieked and dropped the cup back on the counter. The hot chocolate splashed out and splattered on her hand as she did so.

“Gideon? What’s wrong?” Jax asked worriedly.

Gideon turned to the sink and placed her hand under the running cold water and wiped at her mouth. She had burned her tongue and wouldn’t be able to taste anything for days now. The loss of one sense was never fun.

“Nothing Mr. Jackson. It was just much hotter than I expected. I apologize.”

“No Gideon, it’s not your fault. I must have accidentally made it too hot. Being one half of Firestorm means I usually run hotter than normal. I thought I was getting better at it though, Ray and Mick never complained before,” Jax said guiltily.

“I’m sorry,” Gideon repeated.

“Not your fault,” Jax patted her shoulder, “Hang tight, I’ll get you something for your hand. Alright?” Gideon nodded as he left the room.

She sighed as she removed her hand from the water and wrapped a wet paper towel around it. She wouldn’t be able to use the tissue regenerator until the burn mark formed properly. Gideon reached out to try and touch the cup again but snapped back when she realized it was still burning hot. She tried the coffee cup next but it was the same situation.

Gideon sighed and simply stood there with her hand wrapped, trying to decide her next move. Of course it was then that the Captains decided to walk in.

“Captain Hunter, Captain Lance,” Gideon greeted.

“Hello Gideon,” Rip smiled at her.

“What you got there?” Sara asked.

“Mr. Jackson was just making some coffee and hot chocolate. He had to step out for a moment,” Gideon answered. There was no need to worry her Captain over such a small injury.

“Well don’t mind if I do!” Sara grinned at her as she made her way over to the coffee. She knew Gideon preferred the hot chocolate with her sweet tooth.

“Careful, it’s probably too hot!” Gideon held out a hand to warn her.

Sara paid her no heed and took a sip of the coffee. She moaned, “Oh this is so good. It’s not hot at all, just the perfect temperature. Jax is really good at getting that!” There was a reason everyone let the kid take care of the coffee in the mornings.

Gideon frowned, “Not too hot?”

“Nope. Perfect. Want some?” Sara offered the cup. Gideon scrunched her nose up in disgust. Even the bitter aroma made her sick to her stomach.

Rip laughed at her expression, “I think the hot chocolate is more her type.” Rip offered her the hot chocolate again. Gideon reached out for the cup but felt the heat before she even touched it. Yet her Captain didn’t seem the slightest bit perturbed.

“Actually,” Gideon dropped her hand, “You have it.”

Rip frowned at her, “But you love hot chocolate.”

“Please, I insist, Captain.” Gideon gave him a smile, which she hoped seemed sincere. Facial expressions gave away everything. Rip shrugged at her but took a sip of the hot chocolate, confirming her suspicions that it too was a perfectly normal temperature for him.

Rip looked at her again and noticed the wrapped hand, “Gideon, are you alright?” He reached out to touch her but Gideon moved her hand away.

“Perfectly fine, Captain. I simply spilled some hot chocolate on myself earlier. Just cleaning myself up, that’s all. Not in the mood for it anymore I’m afraid,” Gideon tried to reassure him.

Rip gave her a suspicious look, “If something’s wrong-”

“You know I’d tell you, Captain. There’s nothing to worry about. Promise.” Rip smiled and brushed her hair back before cupping her cheek. Somewhere Sara cleared her throat and Rip dropped his hand. When they turned to look at her, Sara was smirking at the pair of them. Rip rolled his eyes and nodded once at Gideon before leaving the kitchen with Sara.

Gideon sighed as she unwrapped her makeshift bandage. Already a splotchy red burn mark had formed.

* * *

 

**_Too Cold_ **

After what Gideon had dubbed ‘the hot chocolate incident’ she used the medbay to run basic checkups. As many as she could on her own anyways. As an AI she had always liked the medbay, it was the one place she could keep track of her team’s wellbeing and make sure they were all functioning normally. Now as a human, Gideon realized just how painful needles were and how much it hurt to have blood drawn. It was not an experience she enjoyed, especially not alone. She liked it better when her Captain held her hand and kept her calm so she didn’t focus on the needle.

But the results were what she assumed, and Gideon didn’t want anyone else knowing them. That she was broken. She had been wrong in her theory. Normal humans were not as fragile as her. They didn’t feel the extreme temperatures she did. They weren’t irritated by all the different types of clothing materials they wore. They didn’t get aches and bruises just from sleeping on a hard bed – if they even noticed it was hard. And noises didn’t sound as loud as they did for her. Everything about her was wrong and dysfunctional.

Even so, she loved being human. She could feel everything. It was all so sharp and clear, like someone had debugged her program and given her double the processor speed. She didn’t want them to take that away from her. Gideon didn’t think her Captain would ever deem her unacceptable, but she did think he would worry and try to keep her safe. That wasn’t what she wanted. So she kept it to herself. Now that she knew, she could take the appropriate actions necessary to take care of herself.

Unfortunately that didn’t mean she always made the right choices, as in right now.

“You okay?”

“You have asked me that question three separate times in the past eight minutes and thirty-seven seconds, I assure you I am not so fickle that my answer has changed. I’m perfectly fine, Doctor Palmer,” Gideon bit out irritably.

“Are you sure?” Ray pressed.

“Yes,” Gideon snapped, “Now may we please continue walking?” She huffed and tried to step faster than him. It did no good, Ray had long legs. He could keep up easily with her. She should have brought a coat, she knew how sensitive she was to temperatures. But the weather had given a forecast which seemed acceptable by normal human standards. Unfortunately, Gideon hadn’t counted on there being a breeze. What felt like a refreshing wind to the rest of the Legends, felt like an arctic blast to her. And it was a long walk back to the Waverider still.

“What’s wrong with Gideon?” Sara asked from where she was leading the way with Rip. Immediately Rip turned around to look at her, Gideon sighed in response.

“She’s cold,” Ray answered for her. He didn’t seem the slightest bit intimidated by her glare. She was losing her touch.

“Cold? How can she be cold? The sun is shining and-” Nate was cut off.

“Says the man that got hypothermia,” Amaya teased him.

“Only reason you were okay is because you took the aura of a seal or whatever,” Nate pointed out.

“Nobody has time to listen to the two of you have a domestic spat right now,” Jax interrupted them before Amaya could respond. Next to Jax, Martin was nodding along while Mick looked like he wanted to laugh at all the drama.

“Well Nate, if you’re doing fine maybe you should give your coat to Gideon,” Sara indirectly ordered him. While Nate tried to come up with a good argument, Amaya and Jax were already trying to manhandle him out of his coat while Mick cheered them on.

“That’s hardly necessary Captain Lance. I’m perfectly fine,” Gideon insisted. She just wanted to get back to the Waverider without all this fuss.

“You sure?” Ray tried again, “Gideon, I can see your goosebumps and you’ve had your arms wrapped around yourself the entire time. Here, Nate doesn’t have to give up his coat. You can have mine.” He began to shrug off his own coat before Rip stopped him.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Rip said from somewhere in front of them.

“Thank you-” Gideon tried to speak.

“She’ll have mine,” Rip finished. Gideon turned back to face her Captain and saw him holding out his overcoat for her.

“Captain,” Gideon whined.

“You’re cold, Gideon. And I have the longest coat by far and it will keep you warm. It’s the best of all the options-”

“Oh yeah, it’s got nothing to do with your possessive jealousy streak and favoritism,” Sara sang in front of them before giving Jax a high five.

Rip sent them both a glare before turning back to Gideon and ordering, “Now take it.”

“No,” Gideon crossed her arms in defiance (thought it did also help with the cold).

“Gideon, I’m your Captain. Do as I say,” Rip gave her a smile.

Gideon huffed and grabbed the coat from him and shrugged it on, “One of these days that excuse won’t work on me, Captain.”

“Of course not,” Rip agreed as he helped her button up the coat. “But today is not that day. Better?” he asked once she was properly bundled up and grabbed her hands.

“Yes. Thank you,” Gideon said quietly now that most of the team had moved on.

“Your hands are freezing,” Rip commented.

Gideon tried to tug them out of his reach but he refused to let go, “I was cold.”

Rip nodded and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, rubbing her arm to keep her warm, “Next time, just tell me, okay? I don’t mind sharing.”

“Unless it’s me,” Gideon teased as they started walking again, remembering Sara’s words.

“Unless it’s you,” Rip agreed as he squeezed her to him. The look he gave Gideon gave her more warmth than the coat did.

* * *

 

**_Too Loud_ **

“You’re back early,” Rip stood up from the monopoly game he was playing with Martin.

Martin looked at his wristwatch and got up with the Captain, “Yes, we expected you all to be out for a few more hours.”

“Plans changed,” Mick said. Rip looked behind him and saw Gideon shrinking away from the crowd, her head bowed. Mick stepped out of the way and Rip immediately moved forward to take Gideon into his arms.

“What happened?” When Gideon didn’t answer he looked at the rest of the Legends for an explanation.

“So a night out wasn’t that great of an idea,” Ray said sheepishly.

“What happened?” Rip could hear his anger seeping into his voice, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He knew he should have gone with them, to take care of Gideon. But clubs weren’t really his sort of thing, so he had chosen to stay on the ship with Martin after all the Legends had promised they would look after Gideon properly.

“Nothing happened. Really,” Gideon finally spoke up, “I just wasn’t having a good time. So I wanted to come home. You didn’t all have to come with me.”

“What was wrong?” Rip asked softly.

Gideon gave a little shrug and tugged at the sleeves of her dress, “It was louder than I expected. And smoky. And crowded. I didn’t really enjoy myself. Sorry, Captain.”

“You have nothing to be sorry about,” Rip assured. He ran his hands down her arms and saw her wince slightly. His eyes narrowed at her, “What else happened?”

“Some guy got a little handsy with her. Wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Sara crossed her arms, still fuming as she remembered the sight.

She felt bad that it had taken them so long to realize Gideon had been that uncomfortable. Gideon had spent most of the night with Ray and Jax. Mick had gone to bar, Nate and Amaya were in their own little world and Sara had hit the dance floor. It had taken quite a while for Ray and Jax to finally coax Gideon onto the dance floor; and even then, she still stayed close to them. When Sara had tried to make her way over to her, some guy was trying to get her to dance with him and it was clear that Gideon didn’t want him near her. And that the grip he had on her arm was causing her pain.

“And you didn’t think it was important to tell me that first?” Rip snapped at them.

“We didn’t tell you cause you’d worry,” Mick responded, “Besides we handled it. Or they did.” He pointed at Sara and Amaya.

“We took care of it,” Sara said, “He’s not an issue anymore.”

“You broke his arm,” Gideon stated. Sara shrugged as Gideon sighed at the act of violence. “And then you all proceeded to get into yet another fight-”

“Another reason why we came back early. We sorta got kicked out,” Nate explained.

“Still, you should have-”

“Captain, please,” Gideon cut him off, “The situation’s handled. I’m fine.”

“You’re sure?” Rip insisted.

“Yes,” Gideon confirmed, “I think all I want now is to get out of these clothes actually. So if you’ll excuse me.”

She nodded at him before pulling away from his hold and heading to her room. She sighed as she closed the door behind her, slowly rolling up the sleeve of her dress and staring at the dark bruise forming on her arm. Another one for the collection. She shook her head and pulled her heels off before changing into a comfier set of clothes – sweatpants and a tank top. Then she headed over to her bathroom to wash the caked on makeup off her face, she didn’t particularly care for that either. She hated the dress and heels she had to wear. The dress felt itchy and the heels hurt to walk in. And the mascara and eyeliner felt like it had been burning her eyes – the smoky atmosphere in the club certainly didn’t help. It had also been loud and gave her a pulsing headache.  The flashing strobe lights certainly didn’t help the headache. They made her feel like everything was distorted, in slow motion. Gideon had tried her best to enjoy herself, but she didn’t. In the end it was Mick who finally noticed and told the rest that they should just bring her back to Rip. While she didn’t appreciate the connotation, she was grateful for the suggestion. Though at that point, they had already been kicked out so there wasn’t anything else to do anyways.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door, “Gideon?” Rip called out.

“Give me a minute,” Gideon looked at her bruise, she couldn’t let him see that. Frantically she searched her room before finding a sweater and throwing it on. She opened the door, slightly out of breath from all the panic.

“Yes, Captain?”

“Can I come in?” Rip asked. Gideon stepped out of the way and let him in. He turned to look at her properly, reaching out to touch the soft sweater, “Isn’t it a bit hot for that?”

Gideon shrugged, “I like it. Besides, the ship gets drafty at night when I sleep.” She could only control her mental link with the ship when she was fully aware. Apparently, she couldn’t adjust climate control when she wasn’t awake. She had learned that the hard way.

Rip nodded, “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You left in a hurry.”

Gideon blushed, “I needed some quiet after all that, and I really didn’t like those clothes. Don’t tell Ms. Lance? She spent a lot of time getting me ready for tonight. I feel bad that I ruined it for all of them.” Sara and Amaya had spent a long time picking out her clothes and doing her makeup. Jax had been so excited to go off the ship for something that wasn’t a mission, and Ray had just wanted her to have fun.

“You didn’t ruin anything. If anything that man did. Did you get a name? Or remember what he looks like?” Rip asked innocently.

“Captain,” her tone filled with warning, “Whatever it is you are thinking, you can forget about it right now. Ms. Lance and Ms. Jiwe already took care of it.”

“And what if he were to try again on another woman?”

Gideon snorted, “After what Ms. Lance put him through? I highly doubt he would try anything like that ever again.”

Rip sighed in defeat and crossed his arms like a pouting child, “Fine then. I suppose I’ll let it go.”

“If I may say so, Captain. You are always extremely worried and possessive when it comes to my safety and protection,” Gideon pointed out slyly.

Rip gave her an unimpressed look, “I’m your Captain. You’re my responsibility, you’re mine to look after. Of course I worry.”

“I know,” Gideon looked down. She knew he only came back from the Bureau for her. Because she had turned human and he couldn’t leave her. She couldn’t bear the thought of going back to only being a piece of code and having him leave her again. “I think next time I’ll let the Legends go out on their own, and maybe I’ll just stay here with you.”

“I’d like that a lot. I suppose I should leave you now. Let you get some sleep. Good night Gideon,” he said before stepping forward and cupping her cheek softly.

Gideon leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, “Good night, Captain.”

* * *

 

**_Too Quiet_ **

Gideon huffed as she turned over in her bed again. She just couldn’t seem to get comfortable. If she was on her back, then the lumps in her bed dug into her like rocks. If she was on her side then the covers always slipped off her and she felt cold. Gideon sighed as she sat up in bed and pulled a hand through her hair. The worst part was that she felt as though she could hear everything on the ship, like her mental link with the Waverider was wide open. She could hear the soft clanging in the vents, the quiet hum of the engines. And she wasn’t sure where, but she could hear a ticking of a clock. They were in the timestream – what use was a clock going to be?!

Gideon threw off her covers and got out of bed. She tied up her hair and grabbed her toolkit from under her bed; if she wasn’t going to get any sleep, she might as well get some work done. She made her way to the engine room, pulled out her tools and started away on the time drive. Everything on the ship needed routine maintenance every now and then. It had been easier to take care of it all when she had simply been an AI, she hadn’t needed sleep then. She would simply keep the ship safely afloat in the timestream and occupy herself with any routine repairs while everyone else slept. Of course, now she was human and needed sleep so there always seemed to be extra work piling up. Luckily, she had Jax around to help her and Rip with the ship mechanics.

“There. I told you.”

Gideon startled and looked down from her ladder at the intrusion. Nate was staring at her with his arms crossed, Amaya at his side and Martin behind them. They looked tired, were dressed in sleep clothes and wore varying degrees of irritated expressions on their faces. Gideon deduced that they had all been asleep and had just woken up.

“Gideon, what are you doing?” Amaya asked softly.

“I thought I would take a look at the engines, Ms. Jiwe,” Gideon explained succinctly before looking back at her work.

“Now?” Martin asked.

When Gideon looked at him in confusion, Nate explained, “It’s sort of in the middle of the night-”

“We’re in the timestream, Doctor Heywood. There is no concept of day or night here,” Gideon informed him.

“Well we were all still sleeping,” Nate tried again.

“And you’re more than welcome to do so again,” Gideon said.

“It’s kind of hard to do that with all the banging around in here,” Nate told her.

Gideon looked at the three of them again properly and let her arms drop from their steady work, “I’m sorry. Did I wake you? I didn’t mean to.”

“Of course you didn’t,” Martin soothed her.

“Are you alright?” Amaya asked worriedly. She took in the other woman’s appearance: the messy hair, bags under her eyes and it was a little dim but Amaya was fairly certain Gideon was slightly paler than usual. She looked exhausted.

“Everything’s fine,” Gideon snapped. She watched as the three of them flinched slightly and immediately regretted her tone of voice. Emotions were much harder to control as a human. “I’m sorry. I’m fine. I just haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep in a while.” Gideon finally put her tools down and pulled out her hair tie, leaning against the ladder. “I’ll stop my working so you can all get some sleep. I apologize.” She would find some other way to occupy her time. At some point her body would have to wear out and she would have to get some sleep.

“Perhaps a glass of warm milk would help?” Martin suggested as a solution. Behind him Amaya slowly stepped away, leaving the boys on their own. At least one of them would get some sleep tonight, Gideon thought to herself.

“No. No milk,” Gideon answered. It was always too hot or too cold. She still hadn’t found the proper temperature to make it. Though, her Captain somehow knew, he always made her hot chocolate perfectly.

“Counting sheep?” Nate asked.

“Where would you find sheep at a time like this?” Gideon frowned in confusion. Honestly, it was a preposterous idea.

“No, that’s not what – you know what? Never mind,” Nate dismissed it without further explanation, “You could try reading a book?”

“Nothing in the library appeals to me right now,” Gideon said. She had probably read all those books at least once if they weren’t already programmed in her for basic knowledge. She wanted something new if she were to read. “Look, I’ve already tried all the common remedies to insomnia, none of them work. I think I’ll just go to the media room and watch a movie. Again, I’m sorry for having bothered you.”

“Well surely there must be something we can do to help,” Martin insisted. Just then, Amaya entered the room again, with Rip in tow.

“What’s happening?” Rip asked with a yawn. It was clear he had also been woken from his slumber. He was dressed in his pajamas – a thin shirt and sweats – and his hair was a complete disaster. Honestly, Gideon was surprised he allowed any of the team to see him in this state.

“Gideon can’t sleep,” Amaya said. Gideon glared at the other woman for waking her Captain and bringing him into this.

Rip frowned as he walked over to her, “What’s wrong?” He held out his hands around her waist, Gideon’s hands automatically went to his shoulders for extra support as he picked her off the ladder and set her on the ground.

“I think the Captain has it from here. Perhaps it would be best if we all tried to get some sleep of our own now,” Martin said not so subtly.

“I think you’re right,” Amaya gave a small smile as the three of them left. Gideon glared at their retreating figures until Rip made her face him again.

“I just can’t sleep,” Gideon stated vaguely. At her Captain’s penetrating look, she huffed and explained, “My bed just doesn’t feel right and I can’t get comfortable. It’s either too hot or too cold. And it’s too quiet – it’s like I can hear everything on this ship. I’m fairly certain Axel is wandering through the vents as we speak. And there is a clock that is incessantly ticking on this ship, Captain! I am fairly certain it’s that stupid thing you got in the 1920’s which I told you was a waste of time and space. But no, you just had to keep it and-”

Gideon stopped her ranting as Rip pulled her to him and smothered her against his shirt, his arms wound tightly around her body.

“So you can’t sleep?” Rip murmured. Gideon shook her head against the soft fabric of his shirt. “Would you like to try again?”

Gideon pulled away, “I already told you, I can’t sleep. I already tried and I-” Gideon looked at the insisting look on his face and gave in, “Fine. Alright, I’ll try again.”

“Alright then. Come on,” Rip took her hand and led her through the hallways.

“Captain, my bedroom is in the other direction,” Gideon pointed out.

“I know,” Rip answered easily, “I said you should try again. I never said anything about your room.” He led her into his own bedroom, “You can stay here for the night. Or until you fall asleep, whatever you like.”

“And if I don’t fall asleep?”

“Then I’ll stay awake with you,” Rip stated it obviously.

“And if I do take the bed, where will you sleep?” Gideon asked.

Rip shrugged, “I can sleep on the sofa if you like.”

“Or we could share?”

Rip smiled, “Or that. We could do that.” He walked towards her where she was standing at the foot of the bed, simply staring at it. He touched her cheek, “Now what can I do to help? Would you like me to read to you?”

“What?”

“It’s what you always did when I couldn’t sleep, well you would sing, but clearly you have the better voice of the two of us. But bedtime stories always helped Jonas.”

Gideon stared at the innocence of the statement; he hardly ever talked about his family anymore. Still, “Are you comparing me to a child, Captain?”

“Of course not. But technically speaking your body is new and you’re still getting used to-”

“You do realize that technically speaking, I am much, much older than you?” Gideon said.

Rip rolled his eyes, “Yes, I am well aware of that fact, Gideon.” She hardly ever let him forget it.

“I’m not a child,” Gideon repeated.

“I know. Now, would you like to pick a book?” Rip gestured at his bookshelf.

“Fairytales,” Gideon decided easily. Rip smiled at her and nodded. He gestured to the bed and went to grab the book. Gideon tucked herself under the blankets and listened to his soothing voice as he sat next to her and read aloud. She always enjoyed these stories when he used to read them to Jonas. They were one of the few books the Time Masters had deemed unimportant for her knowledge, so she wasn’t programmed with it. Still, she enjoyed listening to her Captain.

“Better?” Rip asked as he finished the third tale. He had the book in one hand and stroked Gideon’s hair with the other.

“Yes. Thank you,” Gideon said softly. She could feel her heartbeat steadier than before. It was easier to focus on the sound of his voice than it was to think about everything happening on the ship. And his bed was heavenly. She had tried catnapping on the different beds of her team members. Sara’s was too hard, Ray’s was too soft, but Rip’s was just right. She loved it.

She looked up to see her Captain still looking at her softly. “What?” she asked.

“This is nice,” at Gideon’s frown he explained, “You needing me. It’s nice. Normally it would always be you singing to me or reading to me. Doing everything for me. It’s nice that I can do something for you, that you need me.” Rip smiled at her again and placed the book on a table before turning out the lights and getting under the covers with her. Now that the lights were out, Gideon’s heart seized again with the thought of not sleeping.

“Hey, hey,” Rip’s gentle voice shushed her as he felt her stiffen next to him, “Come here.” He pulled her body next to his and pressed her against him. He placed her head on his chest and simply held her there, his hand softly patting her back in a rhythmic lull. Gideon sighed deeply and focused on her Captain’s heartbeat underneath her, blocking everything else out.

“This worked on Jonas too whenever he was sick,” Rip whispered in the darkness.

“I’m not a child,” Gideon complained quietly.

Rip chuckled lightly, “I know. Believe me, I know. But still, whatever works.” He continued to rub circles on her back; it was rather soothing actually.

“Yeah,” Gideon murmured, feeling the weariness finally taking over, “Whatever works.” And it did.

* * *

 

**_Too Much_ **

“You could have gotten yourself killed!” Rip yelled.

“I’m perfectly fine, Captain,” Gideon responded as she made her way to the console to have a look at the current timeline. Missions always meant some sort of danger for them. Why should it make a difference if it was her or the rest of the team?

“I gotta agree with Rip on this one, that was a really close call,” Jax spoke up. Gideon shot him a look of betrayal. The young man had been one of the few she actually counted on to be on her side.

“No more dangerous than you jumping off a building to merge into Firestorm, Mr. Jackson,” Gideon said coolly. Jax shook his head at her and tried to speak again but Rip continued in his rampage.

“What you did was reckless!” he shouted at her. Gideon finally looked up from the console and saw that the entire team was still gathered around and staring at her. Mick seemed mostly disinterested. Ray and Martin were looking at her in worry. Nate mostly looked uncomfortable by the argument. Sara and Amaya exchanged looks while Sara kept close to Rip.

“No more reckless than anything this team has done before,” Gideon pointed out, “Why do I get yelled at?” He had never yelled at her before. Not like this. Never because he was angry with her. He would be angry with the team, with the world, with his life, but never at her. It sparked a new sensation in her. She could feel the lump in her throat and her vision blurring. But mostly she felt the hot anger rising in her.

“Rip yells at us plenty,” Sara tried to intervene, “And last time we messed up, we broke time. But Gideon, you put your own life at risk-”

“There’s always a risk in being human, Captain Lance,” Gideon spat. Sara’s eyes widened at her tone, but Gideon refused to back down. She couldn’t stop it, not now.

Rip stepped forward towards her, trying to keep his own anger under control. He stated tightly, “The rest of this team knows how to take care of themselves in a fight – you don’t! What were you thinking?” He grasped her arms, forcing her to look at him.

“I was thinking that if I didn’t do something, you would have gotten hurt,” Gideon tried to keep her voice steady, “And that’s not something I can allow to happen either, Captain.”

“That’s not your job anymore, Gideon!”

“It’s been my purpose to keep you safe and happy for over the past decade, Captain. Sorry you can’t just turn me off anymore,” Gideon said acridly. Behind them her words sparked conversation from the team. Some trying to tell Gideon to calm down and others trying with Rip.

“That is not what I meant and you know it!” Rip seethed.

“I don’t want to have this conversation anymore,” Gideon decided.

“We have to until I get it through to you that-”

“Do you know the best part of being human?” Gideon challenged, “I can just walk away when I don’t want to talk to you. Like now.” She had never spoken to her Captain that way. She would have never imagined treating him this way. But she also never dreamed he would be this angry with her. And she didn’t trust herself with her emotional outbursts. She had to leave before she made it worse. She pushed his hands off her and tried to walk away but Rip grabbed her arm.

“Gideon, wait!”

“Captain, let go!” Gideon said as she tugged on her arm. His grip on her tightened as he tried to pull her towards him. She tried to twist away, but his grip on her arm caused a pinching sensation that hurt her.

“No, just wait a minute-”

“Ow, no. Captain, let go of me,” Gideon turned back to him, the pain was too much, “You’re hurting me.”

Rip dropped her arm as if it burned her and took a step back. Gideon tried to cover up the injury but it was too late. His eyes dropped to the bright red handprint around her arm; soon enough it would be bruised.

“No, Captain,” Gideon stepped towards him seeing the guilt on his face.

Rip shook his head at her, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Gideon. I didn’t mean to.” Gideon stepped forwards again, reaching out, but Rip stepped away from her, “I’m sorry. I – I can’t – sorry.” He started walking away, as he passed her, he reached out a hand but instantly dropped it. He looked at her with remorse before retreating to his study. He left Gideon again.

“That doesn’t look good,” Jax spoke softly, reminding Gideon she wasn’t alone. Sara moved quickly to follow Rip while the rest of the Legends quietly dispersed, all of them eyeing her arm as they left. Belatedly, Gideon realized her face was wet from her tears.

“It’s fine,” Gideon muttered as she surreptitiously wiped her face. She had all but forgotten about it.

“It looks like it hurts,” Jax said as he stared at the colour molting into black and blue, “Come on. Let’s see if the medbay has anything for your arm.”

Silently, Gideon thought that the medbay would have nothing for her broken heart. She didn’t need tissue regenerators or more blood samples taken. She needed her Captain.

* * *

 

**_Too Little_ **

Three days.

It had been three days and her Captain was still avoiding her. Gideon had never gone this long without him, not unless he had gone home to his family. He was as constant a presence to her as she was to him. The loneliness hurt. It left her with a cold and empty feeling that wrapped around her heart.

The rest of the team tried to cheer her up, but it was worse than the first time she had lost her Captain. Because now, he was on the ship. He just wanted nothing to do with her. The other day he had wandered into the kitchen and saw her sitting there. Before Gideon could even get two words out, he took one look at the sweater she wore to cover up her bruise and walked straight out. She would have used the tissue regenerator, but there was no point in wasting that much time and energy on a bruise that would heal in a few days. She did it as a statement: it wasn’t his fault. Instead, her Captain abandoned her because of it.

It wasn’t fair.

There had to be some way to fix this. To have her Captain look at her again without guilt in his eyes all the time. Surely, Martin and Ray could fix her up, as the two scientists of the ship. After all, Ray had duplicated the super strength serum that gave Nate his steel powers.

“You want us to what?” Ray asked dumbfounded.

“I want you to replicate the serum you created for Doctor Heywood and administer it to me,” Gideon repeated slowly. It really wasn’t that complicated of a request to understand.

Martin, Nate and Ray shared a look before the eldest spoke up, “I believe Raymond is worried about the possible side effects that may occur.”

“No one cared about the possible side effects when I was made human,” Gideon pointed out.

“Yeah, but we didn’t do that,” Ray said. Gideon looked away not wanting to rehash her early days.

“Look, I just need you to administer the serum,” Gideon pleaded, “I’m not asking for the steel powers, but perhaps if you tweaked it properly it would make me immune to minor injuries.”

“If this is about what happened with Rip,” Ray started slowly, “Look, he hurt you and that’s on him. I know he’s been ignoring you but he feels bad and-”

“Do you think I don’t know that?” Gideon snapped feeling all the pent up emotions leaving her, “He can’t bear to even look at me because of what happened. I can’t stand to see that look on his face. If you give me the serum then-”

“You consider just talking to him about this?” Nate interrupted, “I mean, changing yourself isn’t the best way to go about this. He’s the one at fault here, right?”

“He didn’t do anything wrong,” Gideon muttered. Everything hurt her. Had Rip held on to Sara or Mick that way, nothing would have happened. But because Gideon was so sensitive she got a bruise and lost her Captain.

“Okay, fine,” Ray finally agreed.

“Raymond, you can’t seriously be suggesting that you go through with this request?” Martin tried to argue.

“Look, Gideon has watched over us all this time and made sure we’re taken care of. She’s asking for one thing, we can give her that,” Ray looked at his companions. Nate shrugged with a nod which made Martin sigh but wave his hand in acceptance.

“Right, lie down in the chair,” Ray instructed.

“I am well aware of the procedures in the medbay, Doctor Palmer,” Gideon reminded him as she followed his instructions. Ray made no comment and slipped the medical cuff on her to sensor her vitals.

“First, we’ll need a blood sample,” Ray said.

“What?” Gideon froze. She hadn’t realized that would be a requirement.

“I’ll be quick about it,” Ray promised. He readied the needle and necessary tubing while Gideon watched him warily. Ray got as close as touching the needle to her skin but didn’t get to pierce the barrier as Gideon flinched away, smacking Ray as she did so.

“Gideon!” Martin shouted at her as he caught Ray before he could topple over. Nate came over to her to try to calm her down, if only just.

“I can’t. No needles. I don’t want any more needles,” Gideon begged. Everything on a normal basis hurt enough. Needles and injections hurt regular humans as it was. For her, it was pure hell. She wasn’t willing to put herself through that pain, not even to fix herself.

“Gideon, the serum is administered through a needle. How did you think this was going to work?” Ray asked.

“Can’t you just give it like cough syrup or something?” Gideon asked weakly.

The three men shared a look before Nate spoke slowly, “Gideon? Is there something you want to tell us?”

“I just don’t like needles, that’s all,” Gideon dismissed.

“There’s not liking and there’s utter terror,” Martin said.

Gideon sighed and sat up properly, pulling the cuff off her wrist. She put her face in her hands as she quietly mumbled, “It will hurt. A lot. More than it would for any of you.” She looked up at them, a guilty look on her face, “I ran some tests on myself a while back; apparently, I am much more sensitive than the average human. I feel temperatures and textures at extremes. I bleed and bruise easier. Noises are far too loud for me. Anything that hurts humans normally is absolute torture for me. Like needles.”

Ray crossed his arms, “So when you say that Rip’s not at fault for hurting you?”

“Captain Hunter is not a physically violent man. He can yell as much as he likes, but he would never lay a hand on me,” Gideon defended fiercely, “It’s just because I’m me that the bruise showed up. Had it been any of you, the grip would have felt uncomfortable, but certainly nothing that would leave marks.”

“So due to your extreme sensitivities the Captain misjudged the situation and has now been wallowing away on his own,” Martin surmised, “Why not just tell him the truth from the beginning?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Gideon huffed in annoyance. Emotions were much more difficult compartmentalize as a human.

“Hey, could you guys give us a minute?” Nate spoke up. Ray and Martin looked at each other before shrugging and leaving the room.

Nate looked at Gideon, “You didn’t want to tell anyone because you didn’t want to be treated with kiddie gloves.”

Gideon fidgeted with her hands, “I don’t want to worry them.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t really stop,” Nate said knowingly, “I think most of the team forgets that I only turn to steel because I used to be a hemophiliac. My mom would freak out if I so much as got a paper cut. And you can forget about anything that looked even remotely sharp. I didn’t get to play with the other kids on the playground, because what if they pushed me and I got hurt? I always wanted to give dodgeball a try, but the gym teacher never let me. It sucked.”

“So you agree that I need the serum?” Gideon asked hopefully, “To at least reach normal sensitivities?”

“No. Because you’re not doing it for your sensitivities, you’re doing it for Rip. You shouldn’t change yourself for some guy, even if it is your Captain. And even if you were doing it for you, you can’t stand the thought of a needle. I may not be a medical doctor, but I don’t think that’s something even Ray can fix for you.”

“So what exactly should I do, Doctor Heywood?” Gideon asked bitterly.

“You should talk to him,” Nate answered obviously, “Look, the man clearly cares for you considering he came back just for you. And he worries about you nonstop, of course he’s going to blame himself for this. I get that you don’t want to worry him with this, but he’s going to do that anyways. Might as well make his life easier and tell him the truth.”

“Easier said than done with the way he keeps avoiding me,” Gideon grumbled.

Nate took her hand and pulled her off the bed, “Just corner him. Even Rip’s got to sleep at some time, right? Just wait in his quarters; we’ll take care of the rest.” He winked at her before leaving her to her own thoughts in the medbay.

Perhaps they were all right. This wasn’t for Gideon to fix. Rip tended to blow things out of proportion all the time; it was Gideon’s job to make him see logical sense. So that was what she would do. She straightened with determination as she walked to his room. It was empty as she had expected, but he would have to show up at some point. Until then, the bed did look rather inviting and she hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in so long. Maybe just a quick lie down…

* * *

 

**_Just Right_ **

Gideon groaned groggily as the sounds of thumping and a frustrated sigh pulled her from the dark recesses of her slumber. She pressed her face into the pillow one last time before opening her eyes to the bright lights. The first thing she saw was Rip giving her an amused look before he abruptly turned away. Gideon sat up on the bed, hugging the pillow to her chest.

“Captain,” she greeted him.

“Gideon,” Rip nodded at her before turning away again, “You’re on my bed.”

“It’s a very nice bed,” Gideon defended her actions with a slight blush (there was no point in hiding it, he wouldn’t even look at her), “Much nicer than any of the others. Definitely better than mine. I rather like it.”

Rip hummed noncommittedly as he looked at the door and back at the papers on his desk. Anywhere but at Gideon.

“I’m surprised you don’t just leave if looking at me and holding a conversation is such a challenge for you,” Gideon said coldly.

Rip looked at her for a second before quietly admitting, “They locked me in here. No way out.”

“Probably for the best since you’re so keen on avoiding me,” Gideon waited a few seconds but Rip remained silence, “No denial?”

“Of course I’m avoiding you Gideon,” Rip hissed as he waved his hand at her, “I hurt you. I hurt you and there is no excuse for that. No forgiveness.”

Gideon dropped the pillow and got off the bed, walking towards him, “There is no forgiveness because there is nothing to forgive, Captain.”

“I hurt you,” Rip repeated as he looked at the now yellowing bruise, “The bruise is still barely there. You should have used the medbay.”

“It’s not your fault. I didn’t use the medbay because I don’t blame you.”

“Gideon, as loyal as you are to me, this is not something you should be trying to defend-”

“You would never hurt me! We both know that,” Gideon argued.

“Clearly we were wrong,” Rip spat as he looked at the offending injury.

“So that’s your plan then? To avoid me and never touch me again?” Gideon asked incredulously.

“Yes.”

“I imagine it’s going to be rather hard to kiss me if you don’t want to touch me. Let alone look at me.”

Rip’s eyes widened as he spluttered at her, “I never said I-” his arguments petered out at Gideon’s pointed look and he sheepishly admitted, “I suppose I might have thought about it. Is that something you’d want?”

“Only if you want to, Captain. I believe I’ve made my thoughts on the subject rather clear,” Gideon crossed her arms.

“You shouldn’t want to,” Rip scolded her, “Not after what I did to you.”

“You didn’t do anything, Captain!” before Rip could argue with her again she continued, “I feel like that fairytale character. The one that broke into the house and kept trying all the porridge and beds until she found the right one?”

“Goldilocks?” Rip frowned.

Gideon nodded, “Yes! That one.” She leaned against his desk as she began to explain properly, “Ever since I became human, everything has felt wrong.”

“Gideon,” Rip started.

“Please let me finish?” Gideon asked. Rip nodded and silenced himself. Gideon continued, “Everything felt wrong. The coffee was too hot. My bed gave me bruises. I couldn’t do anything without getting hurt. At first I thought it was just a normal part of being human, that you were all this fragile. But apparently not. I ran tests on myself; apparently, I am simply sensitive to everything. Temperatures, touch, tastes, sounds. Everything.”

Rip shook his head at her, “Gideon, I already knew all that.”

Gideon looked up at him properly, “What?”

Rip sighed, “You forget you were my AI for over a decade, I know how you think and act, even if you didn’t have a body then. And you’re terrible at keeping secrets and lying to me. I caught on easily that something was wrong, I guessed. But it’s still not an excuse for what I did!”

Gideon reached out and put her hands on his arms before he could pull away, “Captain, please! It’s not your fault. Everything hurts me. Everything.”

Rip continued to shake his head at her. But he didn’t pull away in fear of hurting her again. Gideon could see she wasn’t getting through to him and turned her gaze to the cup of tea on his desk. She reached out; she could feel the heat grazing her skin before she even touched it.

“Well then, I can see you won’t listen to reason. So a proper demonstration is clearly required,” she grabbed the cup, ignoring how it seared her palm and grabbed Rip’s hand with her other, “I am very sorry about this, Captain.” With that, she upended the hot tea on their linked hands.

“Gideon!” Rip knocked the cup out of her hand where it fell to the floor with a thunk. The tea had been slightly warm for him, but nothing he couldn’t handle. He watched as Gideon clutched her hands together. Rip grabbed a towel and wet it under the sink in the bathroom before heading over to Gideon. Her hands were already turning an angry red and blistering into burns. He wrapped her hands in the towel and held them in his own.

“Why would you do that?” he asked quietly, angry that she would ever hurt herself.

“You weren’t listening, I had to take necessary measures,” Gideon stated robotically, but Rip could still hear the waver of pain in it. He pulled her closer to her as she repeated, “Everything hurts me, Captain.”

“You never told me it was this bad. Why didn’t you tell me?” Rip asked with sad eyes.

Gideon looked down, “You would have worried.”

“Gideon.”

“I didn’t want to go back. I like being human, even with all the pain. I don’t want to go back,” Gideon begged him.

“Oh Gideon, how could you ever think I would force you to do something you don’t want?” Rip soothed her as he gave in and wrapped his arms around her.

“I think you would do it if you thought it was better for me.”

“I can’t deny that I want you safe and unhurt. I don’t like the thought of you being in constant pain like this.”

Gideon shrugged in his arms, her face tucked against his neck, “It doesn’t always hurt. I’m usually fine with you. You’re the only thing that feels right to me sometimes. You know what temperature to make my coffee. You know just how tightly I like to be hugged. You know everything about me.”

“You should have told me,” Rip sighed, “I can’t look after you if I don’t know-”

“That’s not your job, Captain,” Gideon interrupted.

“Like it’s not yours to look after me?” Rip gave her a wry smile before continuing, “We look after each other, Gideon. That’s how this works. But you have to tell me from now on if you’re hurt. Especially if I’m the one that hurts you. I can’t bear the thought of causing you pain. I don’t care how small it is, just tell me. Please, I need to know.”

“And you, Captain?” Gideon asked. Rip furrowed his brow in confusion as Gideon illuminated, “You left me. You found out and you left me. And that hurt more than any bruise or burn or needle ever could.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything, Gideon,” Rip apologized properly, “I just didn’t think it was good to be around you anymore.”

“Well you were wrong.”

“It has been known to happen at times. You would know,” he smiled at her, “Forgive my stupidity and stubbornness? Please?”

“I always do,” Gideon replied easily.

“Yes, you do,” Rip agreed. He could search through all of time and space, but he would never find anyone as loyal to him as Gideon was. He leaned in and brushed his lips against her cheek in thanks and apology for how he had acted. Gideon giggled against him as Rip pulled back and looked at her curiously.

“Sorry,” Gideon blushed, “It tickles. Your beard, I mean.”

“Well I’m not shaving again,” Rip warned her, “Besides, you like my beard.”

“I do,” Gideon agreed, “I’ll get used to it.”

“You better,” Rip nuzzled against her cheek and neck, listening to her happy laughter. “It would be rather hard to kiss me if you didn’t,” he teased her. Gideon hummed and leaned against him as he straightened up properly.

“I’m sorry,” Rip said again as Gideon tucked herself into his arms again.

“Stop apologizing, Captain,” Gideon ordered, “Just don’t do it again. Some things hurt worse than a bruise.”

“I won’t,” Rip promised her.

“I know.” Gideon rested her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat as he rubbed circles into her back. Not too hard and not too soft. Here, in his arms, was the safest and most perfect place for her. He was just right for her.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/review with any thoughts or comments? Thanks!


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